Apparatus for guiding cables



NOV."21, 1939. s N AL 2,180,987

APPARATUS FOR GUIDING CABLES Filed May 8, 1937 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 & 1

HEEMH/Y J 715066 5 69 4, )Ema .196. 6 v ATTORNEYS Nov. 2-1, 1939. LARSEN AL 2.180,987

APPARATUS FOR GUIDING CABLES Filed May 8. 1937 2 Shets-Sheet 2 TTORNEYS plane of this section being indicated bythe line Patented Nov. 21, 1939 APPARATUS FOR GUIDING CABLES Neil P. Larsen and Herman J. Troche, Cleveland, il" Ohio, assignors to The American Coach and Body Company, Cleveland, Ohio, a corporation of Q-hio Application Ma 8,1937, Serial No. 141,522 a; Claims. [(01. 254 -190) This invention relates to an apparatus for guiding cables. More particularly," the present invention is concerned with a cable-guiding apparatus, especially adapted for 'usein connection with cable-winding mechanism carried by trucks and other vehicles. The invention, however, is well adapted for stationary hoisting units. In many commercial fields, automotive trucks are used for construction, maintenance and erection of power lines, gas lines, water conduits, tele- "phone lines, and the like. In these fields it has 3 been found expedient to utilize automotive trucks,

which are provided with a power-driven cable winding mechanism. In order that the space within the body of the truck may be advantageously utilized for the transporting of workmen, materials, tools and the like, the hoisting unit is generally located adjacent the forward end of the body. The cable, whenin use, extends 2! from the hoist unit to the rear-of the truck and r then to the article for which this hoist is to be utilized. In many instances, the winches are used for towing loads, drawing cables and othersimilar tasks, and at times, the article to. be

5-drawn or 'hauled bythe winch cannot be aligned with the truck. Therefore, the cable extends.

angularly from the winch to the article to'bedrawn, making it diificult to properly reeve the cable on the winding drum, causing premature Q: wear and breakage of the cable, as well as pre-.

venting the utilization of a great share of the body space during such time as the winch is in use, often requiring the removal of the contents 'of the truck body.

5= The general object of this invention is to pro- Vide an improved apparatus for guiding the cable from the load to the winchinsuch a'measure as to overcome the disadvantages above pointed out. Other objects of our invention will become more apparent from the following description,

reference being had to a preferred form'of the in vention, illustrated in the accompanying drawings. The novel features of the invention will be summarized in the claims.

In the drawings, Fig. 1 is a plan view of a truck, having the'improved cable guiding mech-f anism mounted thereon; Fig. 2 is an enlarged plan view of the cable-guiding mechanism; Fig. 3 is an elevation of the guiding mechanism; Fig. 4 is a substantially vertical section of the guiding mechanism, as indicated by the line 4--4 on Fig. 3;,/Fig. 5 is a fragmentary horizontal section, the

5/5 5-'5 on Fig. 4; Fig. 6 is a fragmentary rear e1e-' vation, similar to Fig. 3,-but illustrating the parts in different positions; Fig. '7 is afragmentary side elevation and illustrates a mechanism for retaining. the cable in contact with the guiding mechanism.

In the drawings, there ispgenerally indicated in Fig. 1 a truck I0, of a type used by public utility corporations in connection with their service and maintenance departments. This truck is provided with a hoisting unit 1!, having a winding drum l2 located at the forward end of the storage compartment, or body of the truck.

'A' cable I5 extends directlyto the rear of the truck from the drum l2 of the hoisting unit to the improved guiding mechanism 20, and from thence to a load. The guiding mechanism as illustrated is positioned on, thefloor. of the truck adjacent its rearmost end and overhangs the rearmost edge of the truck. This mechanism is so arranged that the cable may extend angularly 2o therefrom in any direction for attachment to a load, which angle may change during the reeving of the cable, and still be properly guided by the guiding mechanism to the winding drum, to enable proper reeving, including level winding of the cable on the drum.

As shown in the drawings, especially Figs. 3, 4,. and 5, the improved guide mechanism comprises a. pulley or, sheave 25, rotatably mounted on a shaft 26., The shaft is mounted in a U 3i shaped bracket 21, which extends rearwardly from the truck. 'The shaft is secured against axial movement by any suitable means. The bracket 21 extends upwardly and rearwardly from the sheave'to an annular horizontally extending 35.. .hollow hub formation 28, through which the cable l5 extends, as indicated in Fig. 4.

The hub 28 of-the bracket 21 is mounted in a bearing 30, for free rotary movement about a horizontal-axis extending parallel with the 40:

truck. The hub 28 is provided with a shoulder 3| which-seats against one-side of a bearing sleeve 32,- carried by the bearing 30, while the other end of the hub is threaded as indicated at 32 to receive locking nuts 33 whichprevent axial 45 movement of the bracket. The arms 21 of the bracket member' 28 are each provided with an outwardly and upwardly extending ear 40. The ears embrace the sides of the sheave and, as will be noted from Fig. 3', form substantially a continuation of the wall 25a of the annular cable 1 receiving recess of the sheave. These ears guide the cable directly to the sheave.

The bearing bracket 30 is secured to the floor of the truck. To. this end the bracket is provided with a horizontally extending flange 36 which engages the floor of the truck, and is also provided with downwardly depending cars, such as those indicated at 31, for engaging the rearmost or end wall of the truck. Suitable bolts 38 extend through the flange 36 and are arranged to secure the bracket to the floor of the truck.

The cable is normally retained in the annular recess of "the sheave by a roller 4|. This roller is rotatably mounted on a pin 42, carried by pin 42 may be prevented from axial movement in any well-known manner: It will be noted from Fig. 5 that the roller 4| has an outwardly extending annular boss 44 provided with an annular recess 45. This boss is arranged to enter the cable in contact with thesheave.

'The roller is resiliently. maintained in the po-' sition illustrated in Figs. 1 to 6. inclusive by a spring 56 which is coiled around a hub-like formation 5!, of the yoke 43. One end of the spring'extends over a pin 54 carried by theyoke, while the other end of the spring extends loosely through an opening in a lug or boss 55 of the pulley bracket 21.

From the foregoing description,.it will be seen that the present invention provides an apparatus forguiding a cable from a winding drum to a load, and insures level winding of the cable on the drum, regardless of the direction of the load from the winding mechanism relative to the longitudinal axis of a truck on which such mechanism is mounted and accomplishes this by maintaining the stretch of the cable which overlies the truck, substantially normal to the axis of the winding mechanism, and parallel with the longitudinal axis of the truck. While the invention is particularly adapted for use in connection with' vehicles, it nevertheless is in many instances well adapted for use in stationary hoisting mechanisms.

We claim:

1. In a device of the character describedythe combination with a winding drum adapted and arranged to be secured to one end of a platform with its axis extending substantially parallel with said end, a bracket secured to the opposite end of the platform and provided with an annular opening extending in a direction normal to the axis of said drum, a second bracket mounted in said first-named bracket for movement about the axis of the opening therein and having an open carried by said arms and in engagement with a cable extending over the sheave, and resilient means acting on the second named bracket and arms to normally maintain said roller in a tangential position relative to said sheave.

2. A cable guiding device comprising in combination, a main frame, a sheave frame having a shank rotatably supported in the main frame,-

the shank being hollow to permit the passage of acable therethrough, a sheave in said sheave frame for supporting the cable which extends through the shank'of the sheave frame, a bracket I swivelly mounted on the sheave frame, a roller a yoke 43, which in turn, is pivotally mounted on the sheave pin 26 as shown in Fig. 5. The 1 journalled in the bracket and having a cable engaging groove therein, the groove on the roller being in close proximity to the groove in the sheave whereby .the cable is engaged by the ,rollerat all times at its point of tangency .to

the sheave and a torsion spring acting against the sheave frame and the bracket for urging the bracket't'oswing in one direction about the axis of the sheave.

3. Acable guiding device comprising in combination a main frame, a sheave frame having a shank rotatablysupported therein, a sheave journalled inthe sheave frame, a bracket also journalled on the sheave frame on the same axis as the sheave, a roller journalled in the bracket, the bracket having a hub, a torsion spring surrounding the hub,.andhaving one end thereof attached to the sheave frame and the other end thereof attached to the bracket.

4. A cable guiding device comprising in combination, a main frame, a sheave frame having ashank rotatably supported in the main frame, said shank being hollow to permit the passage of a cable therethrough, a sheave, journalled in the sheave frame and having a cable receiving groove therein, a. bracket mounted for swinging movement about the axis of the sheave, a roller journalled in the bracket and having a cable engaging portion entering the groove in said sheave and a spring acting upon the sheave frame and the bracket for urging the bracket to swing in one direction with reference to the sheave. v

5. In a deviceas described, a pivotally mounted tubular supporting structure mounted to swivel in a rotatablemanner on its axis, a pulley supported' on said structure and rotating on an axis at 90 degrees transverse to the axis of the swivel and ofiset from such axis, the pulley being cable with the pulley being oifset from the axis of the swivelly mounted structure whereby when a-taut cablepasses over the guide pulley at an angle to thejswivel: axis and turns in an are around such swivel axis, the guide pulley follows the' motion of the-cable and causes a partial rotation of the swivel structure, a pressure means havinga'pivotalconnection to the axle of the guide pulley, and means to urge said pressure" means to turn in an arc in the plane of the pulley' to position the pressure means substantially-at the point of tangency of the cable lead from the guide pulley.

NEIL P. LARSEN. HERMAN J. TROCHE. 

